An elegant chocolate cake – perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
- 4 eggs
- 200g powdered sugar
- 70g all-purpose flour
- 70g potato starch
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Soaking Syrup
- 60ml hazelnut-flavored vodka or hazelnut liqueur or hazelnut coffee syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream
- 230g Nutella
- 250g mascarpone cheese
- 250ml heavy cream (cold)
Decoration
- 12 Ferrero Rocher chocolates
- Approximately 70g hazelnuts (peeled and chopped)
Glaze
- 50g dark chocolate (mildly bitter)
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Preparation
Sponge Cake Bring the eggs to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of warm water. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Line the bottom of a 21 cm diameter cake pan with parchment paper, and butter the bottom and sides.
Beat the egg yolks with half of the powdered sugar for about 7 minutes until fluffy and thick. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the remaining powdered sugar for about 7 minutes until thick, shiny, and stiff peaks form.
Sift together all-purpose flour, potato starch, and cocoa powder into a separate bowl and mix.
Gently fold the egg yolks into the egg whites using a spatula, making several gentle movements. Then sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the batter and gently fold it in with a spatula, being careful not to deflate the whipped egg whites. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture and gently fold in, then repeat with the remaining flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 35 – 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, cool completely. Trim around the edges of the cake pan and cut into 3 horizontal layers.
Cream Place Nutella in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat cold heavy cream together with mascarpone cheese until stiff peaks form (about 2 minutes). Gradually add the whipped cream to Nutella, mixing with a spoon after each addition.
Place the bottom sponge cake layer on a serving plate, soak with 1/3 of the soaking syrup, and spread 1/3 of the cream. Place the second cake layer and repeat with 1/3 of the soaking syrup and 1/3 of the cream. Repeat with the last sponge cake layer, soaking it. Spread the remaining cream on top and around the sides of the cake.
Decoration Toast hazelnuts in a pan for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the skins start to come off and the nuts begin to lightly brown.
Transfer to a kitchen towel, wrap and rub the nuts with your hands until most of the skins come off. Chop the nuts on a cutting board or crush them in a food processor, then use them to coat the sides of the cake.
Glaze Break the chocolate into small pieces, place in a bowl, add oil and cream. Melt (in the microwave or using a water bath), then mix until smooth.
Spread the glaze over the top of the cake, decorate with Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Refrigerate until serving (at least 2 hours).
